BillBoard

Hoops star Harris eyes football

Paul Harris, one of the greatest scholastic basketball stars Western New York ever has produced, says he's going to an NFL Scouting Combine. Harris, 6-foot-4, 230 pounds, posted a tweet saying he was going to try out at the combine as a tight end. We suspect he's talking about one of the new regional combines that the NFL his holding - essentially open tryouts where players pay a $190 registration fee to enter. Harris, who starred at Niagara Falls High and Syracuse University, recently was released by minor-league Maine of the NBA Development League. Harris is not on the official invite list for the NFL Combine in Indianapolis. Regional combines are being held through February and March. There's one in the New York metro area on Feb. 25. There's one in Cleveland on March 17. The top players from the regional combines will get invited to a super regional combine in Detroit on March 30-31. It's too bad Harris doesn't have a better outside shot. He'd be in the NBA.

---Mark Gaughan

 

Tide's Upshaw big at 273

University of Alabama star Courtney Upshaw is a hulking outside linebacker. He weighed in at 273 pounds at the Senior Bowl this week. That puts him in a rare category in terms of sheer power. Upshaw could be squarely in the sights of the Buffalo Bills when they pick 10th in the NFL Draft in April.

Upshaw measured 6-foot-1 1-2, not quite as tall as ideal, but there are many good pass rushers under 6-3. Cornelius Bennett was 6-2. Pittsburgh's James Harrison is 6-foot, 242. As many have pointed out, the NFL star most similar to Upshaw in body type is Pittsburgh outside linebacker LaMarr Woodley, who is 6-1 1-2, 265 pounds. Woodley, who has very long arms, has 48 sacks in five seasons for the Steelers. Upshaw's weight gives him the versatility to line up as a down lineman as well as an outside linebacker. He says he's aiming to drop 8 pounds. Here's a story on him at the Senior Bowl from today's Montgomery (Ala.) Advertiser. http://www.montgomeryadvertiser.com/article/20120125/SPORTS0401/201250327/Senior-Bowl-Tide-s-Upshaw-rush-prove-himself-NFL

---Mark Gaughan

Jeffery a draft option

---The Bills likely will add a wide receiver in the draft even if they elect to re-sign free agent receiver Stevie Johnson and South Carolina wideout Alshon Jeffery, who announced he is entering the draft, is a possibility at No. 10.

Jeffery, pictured above, has the size (6-foot-4) the Bills covet and the ability to make big plays down the field. The most productive receiver in South Carolina history, Jeffery finished as the school's career leader in receiving yards with 3,042, which ranks second in SEC history. Jeffery is No. 2 at South Carolina in career catches (183) and tied for first in touchdowns (23). His 148 yards in Monday's Capital One Bowl victory over Nebraska gave him a school-record 12 career 100-yard receiving games. And that was before he was tossed from the game in the third quarter.

Mel Kiper, Jr. currently lists Jeffery as the No. 2 WR available behind Oklahoma State's Justin Blackmon, who Hall of Fame QB Warren Moon calls Dez Bryant with brain cells. Blackmon is a Top 5 prospect.

---Rodney McKissic

(www.twitter.com/rodneyjmckissic)

Bell, Caussin, Urbik ruled out for New England

The Buffalo Bills will be down another three players for their season finale Sunday in New England.

Tight end Mike Caussin (right knee), center Kraig Urbik (right knee) and left tackle Demetrius Bell (knee/ankle) will all miss the last game of the 2011 season. All three suffered serious injuries in Saturday's 40-14 victory over Denver in the home finale.

Coach Chan Gailey, however, was less than clear on whether the injuries would require surgery (Caussin said on his Twitter account he has a torn ACL, so he will).

"Possibly all three. I'm pretty sure," Gailey said, before adding, "I'm not sure."

If Bell and Urbik do require surgery, that's three of the team's starting five offensive linemen from the season opener who face rehabilitation from surgery during the offseason (starting center Eric Wood had surgery in November for a torn ACL).

Bell is an unrestricted free agent, while Urbik is a restricted free agent. The audio link is below to hear the rest of Gailey's interview with the media from today.

Chan Gailey

---Jay Skurski

http://twitter.com/jayskurski

Whitner: Bills 'didn't show' they wanted to win.

---Former Bills safety Donte Whitner spoke with Pro Football Talk recently and said his former team 'didn't show' they wanted to win and the organization made some curious moves during his time in Buffalo.

Whitner was drafted by the Bills in 2006 and signed with San Francisco after the NFL lockout last summer.

---Rodney McKissic

(www.twitter.com/rodneyjmckissic)

 

Ravens pick up McKinnie

---While the Bills continue to shuffle around their offensive linemen to find solutions, the Baltimore Ravens may have addressed its problems on the line with the signing of Bryant McKinnie.

The Bills are in such dire straits at left tackle that Andy Levitre, who has started at left guard 32 consecutive games for the Bills, could be the starter by the season opener in Kansas City. Projected starting left tackle Demetrius Bell said he was shocked to learn he would be rotating in practice with Levitre but his lackluster performance last Saturday against Denver prompted the move.

Signing McKinnie would have done at least two things for the Bills. It would have solved the issue at left tackle as well rectifying the mistake of selecting bust Mike Williams over McKinnie with the fourth pick in the 2002 draft.

---Rodney McKissic

(www.twitter.com/rodneyjmckissic)

Nix quotes on Maybin

On the release of Maybin:

It’s all about us as a team and trying to get better. I’ll say this every time, but it’s also about him.  We could have used him and gone on through the preseason and that kind of thing, and he would have had very little chance of being picked up.  This gives him a chance to maybe get on another team, fit in better and things work out good for him.

On if Maybin’s size and strength was an issue:

I saw where somebody said he didn’t fit the scheme. I don’t know what scheme he fits at that size, unless you’re a strong safety.  He says his metabolism and maybe that’s what it is.  He couldn’t hold weight.  He was 250 at the combine when we saw him and then he was 228 this fall.  He goes up and down some but not very high.

On how difficult it is giving up on a former first-round pick:

You make way more out of those picks than we do and than I do.  I know the money is a big deal.  I don’t think that will be as big now and as much pressure will be on the player.  I think what happens when you miss on a pick that high, a first or second or even third round, it sets you back because you keep trying to fill that void.  That’s the reason we took a little longer.  We needed him and wanted him to come through and wanted to make sure we gave him every opportunity.  He did everything he could do.  He practiced hard, he hustled and he did everything we asked of him.  It just didn’t work out.

On letting young guys get a chance at a roster spot:

And that’s what happens.  We said that and I’ve said that from day one.  A guy that has a chance to develop and be what you’re looking for that doesn’t get enough reps to do it, and that’s what happened.

---Rodney McKissic

(www.twitter.com/rodneyjmckissic)

Bills draft busts? Maybin near the top

---In terms of Bills draft busts, Aaron Maybin may be the biggest.

Left tackle Mike Williams was the No. 4 pick overall in 2002 and was a major bust, but he started 47 games and played 51 for the Bills. Defensive end Erik Flowers, 26th overall in 2000, played 31 games over two seasons and made four sacks which were four more than Maybin.

Defensive end Walt Patulski, No. 1 overall in 1973, appeared in 56 games and tight end Tony Hunter, No. 12 overall in ’83, played two seasons and caught 69 passes. Wide receiver Perry Tuttle, the 19th pick in 1982, caught 24 passes in two years, and while 1980 No. 1 overall pick Tom Cousineau never played for the Bills – electing to play in the CFL – the linebacker wound up making 59 starts in the NFL.

Maybin has just one.

---Rodney McKissic

(www.twitter.com/rodneyjmckissic

Bills' first-rounder Dareus gets $20.4 million deal

The Buffalo Bills today reached a contract agreement with first round draft choice Marcell Dareus. Dareus, a defensive end from the University of Alabama, was the third overall pick in the NFL draft. His contract is worth $20.4 million for four years, according to a league source. It is fully guaranteed, as are the contracts of most of the first-round draft choices this year.

The Bills will have an option to retain him for a fifth year, according to league rules.

Dareus, a 6-3, 323-pounder, will step in immediately as a starter on the Bills' three-man defensive line. The Bills are counting on his presence to help improve the 32nd-ranked run defense in the NFL.

Dareus was the defensive Most Valuable Player in Alabama's victory over Texas in the January 2010 national championship game.

The Bills have also signed Da'Norris Searcy, a defensive back taken in the fourth round, and Johnny White, a running back taken in the fifth round.

The Bills have signed seven of their nine draft picks.

 

---Mark Gaughan

Buffalo leads draft viewing

The Bills report that Buffalo led all NFL markets in average local rating for the three-day NFL Draft with a 4.79 household average. About 30,000 households in Buffalo tuned into the draft. The vast majority of those were watching on ESPN. Most of Western New York does not get the NFL Network. The top five markets for draft ratings were: Buffalo, New Orleans, Milwaukee, Cleveland and Jacksonville.

---Mark Gaughan